By: Lane Glaze
Last week, I spent a few days in Nassau with key members of One Eleuthera Foundation’s (OEF’s) leadership team, including my colleague Keyron Smith, OEF’s President and CEO. We visited with prospective and long-time donors, thanking them for their past support and sharing exciting program expansion plans, heartfelt community impact stories, and success statistics from the last year.
A Growing Buzz Across New Providence
I quickly discovered that there was a buzz across New Providence about the success and community development work being accomplished by OEF and its partners. As one donor put it, “I think every family island is trying to figure out how to replicate OEF in their own backyard!” This was music to my ears, as I thought to myself, “OEF’s impact is indeed spreading.”
Remembering the Call That Started It All
This brought back a memory from 2016, when I received a call from my friend Shaun Ingraham, the founder and then President of OEF. Shaun and I met in 2002 and worked on numerous service-based projects and study abroad university programs. This fateful phone call was our first lengthy conversation in a while, during which I was fully briefed on the vision that Shaun and a handful of passionate founding members were pioneering.
The Birth of OEF-US
Shaun knew of my background as a CPA and private banker, in addition to being an ordained Methodist minister, and he put a challenge to me. “I need your help getting a U.S.-based 501(c)3 up and running that can support all of this work.” Cutting right to the chase, I said, “If you and your Board are serious about impacting Eleuthera, The Bahamas, and eventually the region, then I’m all in!”
With that, the rest is history. Steve Merritt—one of the organization’s founding members—and I began recruiting other U.S. friends with long-term ties to Eleuthera to form One Eleuthera Foundation of the U.S., OEF’s sister organization.
OEF-US: A Legacy of Philanthropic Investment
Based in the Carolinas, OEF-US exists to support the work of OEF and its partners. Since formally launching in fall 2016, OEF-US has helped facilitate more than $28 million in philanthropic investments into OEF’s many programs. When combined with Bahamian donations, more than $40 million—supported by gifts both large and small—have fueled the transformation taking place across Eleuthera.
OEF’s DNA: The Pillars Behind Its Success
On the plane ride back to the Carolinas, I reflected on several key factors that have contributed to OEF’s growth and impact.
Number 5: Strong Governance
From inception, OEF has benefited from highly capable, highly committed Board members who go beyond simply attending meetings—they actively contribute their gifts to advance the mission.
Number 4: Effective Storytelling
OEF’s broad mission can be difficult to grasp, but in recent years—thanks to Chief Communications Officer Yolanda Pawar—OEF has become a leader in telling its full, transformative story.
Number 3: Trusting Donors
OEF’s donors practice trust-based philanthropy, giving the organization room to innovate. This has fostered relationships rooted in mutual trust, strength, and accountability.
Number 2: Selfless Team Members
OEF has been built by servant-leaders willing to leave “secure” jobs to pursue a bold vision. One example is Robyn Curry, Executive Support Officer, who left her banking career to serve her community of Rock Sound—and continues to make an invaluable impact today.
Number 1: Strong Partnerships
Perhaps the greatest driver of OEF’s success is its commitment to partnership. OEF believes deeply that individuals and groups working together can accomplish far more than those working alone.
Collaboration at the Heart of Transformation
OEF has partnered with dozens of individuals, nonprofits, government agencies, and for-profit entities to tackle complex social and economic challenges. In a time marked by division, OEF’s willingness to collaborate for the greater good has been revolutionary.
Whether championing food security through its state-of-the-art cooling house, revitalizing agriculture with farmer training, offering life-saving youth water safety programs, or equipping over six hundred Eleutherans through trades and entrepreneurship training—partnerships have laid the foundation for lasting change.
About the Author and the Organizations
A former CPA and private banker, Lane is a native of Charleston and now resides in Clemson, South Carolina, with his wife Anne. An ordained United Methodist minister, he has served as president of OEF-US since its inception in 2016 and is a Professor of Practice at Clemson University, teaching Nonprofit Leadership.
Established in 2012, the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a nonprofit organization based in Rock Sound, Eleuthera.
For more information, email info@oneeleuthera.org.
The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is Eleuthera’s first and only postsecondary nonprofit education and training institution, operating a student training campus with a hotel, restaurant, and farm.
For program details, email info@oneeleuthera.org.
